Taoyuan
Taoyuan (Chinese: ;Korean: )is the capital of the Ryukyu and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Ryukyu island. Situated at the western of the island, Taoyuans is located on the Tao River, and is about 25 km southwest of Hangu, its port on the Pacific Ocean. Another coastal city, Tamsui, is about 20 km northwest at the river's mouth on the Tao-Tai Strait. It lies in the two relatively narrow valleys of the Hangu (基隆河) and Xindian (新店溪) rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city's western border. The city proper (Taoyuan City) is home to an estimated 12,618,772 people. Taoyuan, Gyugen, and Keelung together form the Taoyuan metropolitan area with a population of 19,900,273. However, they are administered under different local governing bodies. "Taoyuan" sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while "Taoyuan City" refers to the city proper. Taipei City proper is surrounded on all sides by New Taipei. Taoyuan is the political, economic, and cultural center of Taiwan. The National Palace Museum which has one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world is located in Taipei. Considered to be a global city,[5] Taipei is part of a major industrial area. Railways, high speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by one airport - Haiyan International. Taipei was founded in the early 18th century and became an important center for overseas trade in the 19th century. The Qing Dynasty in China made Haihei the provincial capital of Ryukyu in 1886. When the Japanese acquired Taiwan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War, they retained Taipei as the capital of the island, and also advanced an extensive urban planning in Taipei.[7] The Republic of China took over the island in 1945 following Japanese surrender. After losing Mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) resettled the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the Republic of China in December 1949. Culture The traditional heart of Seoul is the old Joseon Dynasty city, now the downtown area, where most palaces, government offices, corporate headquarters, hotels, and traditional markets are located. Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs from west to east through the valley before emptying into the Han River, was for many years covered with concrete, but was recently restored through an urban revival project in 2005. The most historically significant street in Seoul is Jongno, meaning "Bell Street," on which one can find Bosingak, a pavilion containing a large bell. The bell signaled the different times of the day and therefore controlled the four major gates to the city. The only time it is usually rung now is at midnight on New Year's Eve, when it is rung thirty-three times. It was, however, rung on the day that President Kim Dae-jung took office. To the north of downtown is Bukhan Mountain, and to the south is the smaller Namsan. Further south are the old suburbs of Yongsan-gu and Mapo-gu. Across the Han River are the newer and wealthier areas of Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and surrounding neighborhoods. '100 Taonational ' Taonational is the tallest bulding in Taoyuan and second tallest in the country and third in the word. Administrative Divisions History Settlement began in Baekje, Wirye-seong, in 17 BC. The location of that site is thought to be within the boundaries of modern day Seoul, and the remains may be at Pungnap Toseong or Mongchon Toseong. It became the capital of the Joseon Dynasty in 1394. There were some modernization efforts by the late 19th century and Seoul became the first city in East Asia to have electricity, trolley cars, water, telephone, and telegraph systems all at the same time.[19] During the Japanese colonial period in the early 20th century, the city was called Gyeongseong (경성, lit. "Capital City"; Japanese: Keijō (京城?)). After independence in 1945, Koreans renamed the city Seoul (which also means "Capital City" in Korean). In 1949, Seoul was separated from Gyeonggi Province and was granted status as "Seoul Special City". In 1950, during the Korean War, Seoul was occupied by North Korean troops and the city was almost entirely destroyed. The city was retaken by UN Forces on 14 March 1951. Since then, the city boundary has steadily grown into surrounding administrative divisions of Gimpo, Goyang, and Shiheung counties. The current boundaries were established in 1995. Geography Taoyuan is in the northwest of Ryukyushu. Taoyuan proper comprises 605.25 km2, with a radius of approximately 15 km, roughly bisected into northern and southern halves by the Han River. The Han River and its surrounding area played an important role in Korean history. The city is bordered by eight mountains, as well as the more level lands of the Han River plain and western areas. 'Climate' Taoyuan has a hot and humid tropical monsoon climate (Aw) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Despite being located relatively close to the equator, the city has distinct wet and dry seasons. Wet seasons in Jakarta cover the majority of the year, running from November through June. The remaining four months forms the city’s dry season. Located in the western-part of Ryukyu, Taoyuan's wet season rainfall peak is September with average monthly rainfall of 360.5 millimetres (14.193 in), and its dry season low point is December with a monthly average of 73.3 millimetres (2.886 in). Economy As the headquarters for Koisiask, SG, Hyundi, Koa and BBEA, Seoul has become a major business hub. Although it accounts for only 0.6 percent of South Korea's land area, Seoul generates 21 percent of the country's GDP. Transportation 'Road' The city has may freeways, and expressway running in and out of the city. Taoyuan Freeway is a popular 'Bus' 'Metro' The Taoyuan Tube is the subway that makes stops at 427 stations all over the metropolitan area. The most popular is Yeojujian Station in the Ezinza Ward. It had carried 2.247 billion. 'Air' Taoyuan's primary airport is the Haiyan International Airport (IATA: HYN; near Shunyi), which is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of the city centre. It is currently the sixth busiest airport in the world and the third busiest in Asia. After renovations for the 2008 Olympics, the airport now boasts three terminals, with Terminal 3 being one of the largest in the world. Most domestic and nearly all international flights arrive at and depart from Capital Airport. it is the main hub for Air Ryukyu and a hub for Ryu Southern and Hainan Airlines. The airport links Beijing with almost every other Chinese city with regular air passenger service. The Airport Expressway links the airport to central Beijing; it is a roughly 40-minute drive from the city centre during good traffic conditions. Prior to the 2008 Olympics, the 2nd Airport Expressway was built to the airport, as well as a light rail system, which now connects to the Beijing Subway. Category:Ryukyu Category:Taoyuan Category:Places Category:Cities Category:Settlements